The Zora Armor
by KimWearsBlackGlasses
Summary: Moments, beautiful and unique, that have been ignored throughout Zelda FanFiction history, which beg to be immortalized in prose.


The ghostly sounds of a regretful Zoran ruler were echoed by pond and endlessly high cavern walls, which manipulated the water into an eerily still position. The faint tint of moonlight beading through dying leaves provided not a much-needed release from the darkness, but an addition to the grave's feeling of sorrow and of being haunted. Knowledge of his location was immediately evident, for he had been suffered to enter the hidden resting place by a woman who was already sleeping eternally in mortal body, but who was, in her current afterlife shape, very much active; she had led Link to her own grave. This was indicated by the mossy stone embossed with the symbol of the graceful northern race, which had, unfortunately, recently lost its queen. Queen Rutela stilled above her tombstone, beckoning the hero to cross the water and confer with her at the shore her royal family's tomb was planted upon.

Finally daring to venture from the safe haven that was as far away from the endlessly dark pond as was manageable, Link approached the chilling water. It was not for his sake that he hesitated to proceed, but for his partner's, because he was aware of the fact that Midna's not being comfortable or satisfied meant her instant vocal protest of progression, and he did not favor sudden shouting in this sullen a place. Thus far in their journey together, the imp had not shown any signs of being uncomfortable due to _fear_ (of the dark or of water at night, which were the specifics in this case), but Link was entirely sure that fact was dependent of her unwavering pride or his presence, the latter probably being an incomprehensibly minuscule option. Many a moment had passed since they had entered the graveyard, and, since no apparent sounds were precluding him, Link dove.

The shore seemed to approach him quickly, although the noise that came with swimming and splashing seemed nothing short of inappropriate in the given surroundings. Link, once he was standing, turned his attention to the luminous shape whose appearance defied the inference of ghosts being dull; the diameter of her presence was engulfed in a pale gray light, providing a decent comprehension of the things previously trapped in shadow. The queen wore a perfect expression, with shining emerald eyes and a placid affect on all who observed her. When he looked at her, Link felt all of the darkness around him, not just the darkness around her, die away, replaced by soothing warmth, like a flame. Queen Rutela inhaled and exhaled, studying the hero thoughtfully.

When she spoke, the pleasing chimes of her voice came strong, clearly, and slowly, like the voice of a ruler whose words can be heard and understood without doubt or repetition. "I am deeply grateful to you for aiding my son in his time of need," said she. Her son was named Prince Ralis, the Zoran young adult, sick and weary in Kakariko. The poor child would soon be ushered from having to cope with his own near-death experience to absorbing the dreadful news that was his dear mother's passing.

A pause occurred, where Link portrayed his understanding with a respectful nod, and Queen Rutela resumed speech. "You were right to bring him here. Kakariko Village is a sacred place for the Zora people. It is where we take our eternal rest. My husband in life, King Zora, also rests his spirit here. It is no coincidence my son found his salvation in this place."

The queen's attention slowly shifted to the tombstone, directing Link's attention there, as well.

"…That which I have promised you is within this grave."

Following this statement, Link recollected the information Queen Rutela had given him during their first encounter: she had said her son was lost somewhere in Hyrule, and that if Link found and guided the Zora to safety, she would reward him with the ability to swim with the agility of those who populated the Lanayru Province.

"During his lifetime, my husband created garments specifically for the chosen hero, garments that house the abilities of a Zora."

With this sentence complete, the tombstone began to vibrate, momentarily commencing a repositioning that revealed, underneath the Zoran grave, the scales of winking blue armor. Link's attention returned to the queen, his face asking permission to receive the promised gift, which was answered by a kind grin. Slowly, his feet stepped in the direction of the underground depression in which the clothing was encased. His fingers wrapped around the rough textures, and he lifted the garments up, the pleasure on his face unbounded. Rutela smiled at the hero's elation, and was surprised when he directed his gaze on her person again, still clutching the armor firmly. They gazed at each other for a long while, uninterrupted.

Queen Rutela's expression suddenly changed, not into the serene mask but into something else, and, wondering if his reaction had somehow insulted her, Link returned his face to normal, misunderstanding clouding his head with embarrassment. The dead royalty became interested in the dirt below her as two eyelids quickly lowered to hide the sadness in the eyes underneath them. When her shaky breathing provided enough air to speak once again, the queen raised her head and looked at Link, who had patiently bowed his face to the ground while she had been quietly occupied with her onslaught of thoughts. She began to speak; her voice no longer had the impression of a ruler, but of a simple, thankful woman who could not endure the reminder of her son's former happiness.

"Now, at last, I can join the king in slumber. And yet… my son…" Her voice was drenched with emotion now, "he still knows nothing of my death."

Link, at this moment, looked up at poor Queen Rutela, and the face that had previously calmed his nerves had vanished, in its place a wistful, sad thing.

"If you see him again, please pass on this message…" Her eyes focused on Link, cloudy, begging him to obey her last request. "Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing...Tell him she wanted him to be brave and live on as the king of our people." Her voice decreased in support with every word, like each sound uttered was a poison. The Zora tried to recover it with emphasis on "grieve," "brave," "king," but that only produced a pitiful strain on her throat. Her body shivered lightly, racked with acidic, dusty ghost-blood. "And… tell him his mother…" Her voice trembled, reluctant to continue, as though doing so would be an effective trigger of weeping. "…loves him without end. Tell him…"

And, as gracefully as she had entered Link's life, Queen Rutela disappeared with the swiftness of the wind. Link rested his eyes on the Zora armor, the tombstone, and the new hue of the sky. He turned toward the pond, and kept his sight on the glitter of the water for a few mournful moments.

A slight movement in his shadow notified Link beforehand that this feeling would be forced to vanish in a matter of seconds. As predicted, Midna interrupted the scene, hovering behind Link, leaning her back on the tombstone, as her lips began to move and her throat began to work. Link did not remove his gaze from the water. He narrowed his eyes and wondered bitterly if his partner had been affected at all by Queen Rutela's tale.

"Well, it's a good thing you found your friends and picked up that nifty Zora armor…" Midna's dismissive tone indicated quite obviously that she didn't care whether it was a good thing or not. "But aren't you forgetting something important?" Her tone suddenly became interested, grave, causing Link to swivel his body in her direction. Midna had her legs crossed in midair, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest. One brow was raised, along with one side of her mouth in a half-grin that exposed a threatening incisor. "That last Fused Shadow," she reminded. Her forearm rose to expose a wagging index finger. "Remember what Faron the light spirit said… He said you would need the Fused Shadows to defeat the dark overlord Zant and save the world…" Midna's voice became a continuous nasal drone and a greater smirk formed on her face. "So even if you go back now with all of the people you saved…" The imp raised her palms to her shoulders while saying this, facing them skyward. "…the whole tragedy would just repeat itself…" With this, she began to rotate her wrists and hands, imitating the cyclic event, as if Link needed the entire plan taught to him in every conceivable way, visually, vocally, physically.

"So let's go get it!" she declared violently, clenching her fingers and leaning forward with the passion that she had shouted. Midna huffed, creasing her brow and returning to her original stance.

"We need to go to the temple on the lake bed of Lake Hylia," she commanded with a strong little eye aimed in Link's direction. She spotted the armor at her servant's hands and scowled completely, letting the other half of her lips spread into a completely frightening face. Her gaze dropped to look at the collection of blue scales that rested in Link's palms and forearms.

"Ugh!," she snorted, offended by the ancient armor's appearance. "That _thing_ is unacceptable." Link closed his eyes, raising his brow and nodding, because he expected this reaction from Midna and now knew better than to anticipate any sympathy or respect from her on any occasion.

"I mean, I'd rather have you drown!"


End file.
